In this episode, I speak Alexander Reid Ross, author of ‘Against the Fascist Creep,’ and Shane Burley, author of ‘Fascism Today: What It Is and How to End It.’

I ask Alexander and Shane to discuss the curious case of Andy Ngo — right-wing provocateur, so-called “independent journalist” (https://nyti.ms/2lwcMuz), former Quillette editor, and grifter. (http://bit.ly/2lvaU5r) Ngo is best known for using his prominent social media platform to promote and spin provocative right-wing media narratives, demonstrated in his coverage of street clashes between antifascists and far-right groups over the past several years — most notoriously in Portland, Oregon. His promotion of the concocted narrative that antifascists activists (antifa) are anti-free speech and even terroristic (#antifaterrorists), has had real consequence in the lives and safety of journalists and activists, including Alexander and Shane. (http://bit.ly/2koyQHe) While Ngo is discussed in this episode at some length, Shane and Alexander contextualize the rise of right-wing media figures like Ngo within the wider media environment. Capitalist and centrist liberal values, as embodied by the most prominent media outlets in the country, often consistently fail to provide proper context to a wide range of events, which in turn leaves room for a sort of “fascist creep” to take place in way these events are discussed and presented to the wider public. Without proper investigative research, prominent media outlets fail to do their part in connecting the dots in the rise of white supremacist violence, whether that be in their coverage of the frequency of racially motivated mass shootings in the United States and abroad, the increasingly visible street violence between antifascists and far-right groups, and rising far right populism in nations around the world. There is real danger here in the concocted narratives spun by figures like Ngo: without proper vetting by mainstream journalists in their coverage of these events, disingenuous media personalities with far-right tendencies like Ngo are given a pass and even legitimized, giving space for misinformation surrounding antifascist activism to spread. Alexander and Shane discuss this, and much more, in this episode.

Alexander Reid Ross teaches geography at Portland State University, and is the author of ‘Against the Fascist Creep. ‘His work has appeared in Truthout, ThinkProgress, The Ecologist and the Cambridge University Strategic Initiative in Global Food Security.

Shane Burley is a writer and filmmaker who regularly reports on far-right movements in the US, as well as anti-fascist resistance, workers rights, and class struggle. He is the author of ‘Fascism Today: What It Is and How to End It’ from AK Press, and his work has appeared in numerous publications, such as Jacobin, Truthout, and Commune Magazine.

In this episode, I speak with author, journalist, and political researcher Shane Burley. We discuss the recent mass shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand, in which an Australian white supremacist targeted Muslim worshippers at two separate mosques, leading to the deaths of 50 people — the largest in the nation’s history. We place this event within Shane’s larger analysis of far right ideology and insurgency, which has been thoroughly examined in Shane’s journalism on the subject, as well as in previous interviews I have had with him. (http://bit.ly/BehindEveryLoneWolf)

In this discussion with Shane, we touch on an Op-Ed Alexander Reid Ross and Shane very recently co-wrote for The Independent, titled ‘How to defeat the cretinous ‘great replacement’ theory at the heart of the Christchurch mosque attack,’ in which they respond to the recent mass shooting in Christchurch by self-proclaimed white supremacist Brenton Tarrant. Aside from embodying the most vile and insurgent aspects of white supremacist ideological violence, Tarrant live-streamed the mass killing of 50 Muslim worshippers at the Al Noor and Linwood mosques on platforms such as Facebook and YouTube. Along with his eagerness to share his violent acts with the world, Tarrant left a "manifesto" of sorts, which clearly defines what his motivations were for the targeted attacks, including the highly dubious claims that the "white race" is being systematically replaced and displaced from their position of dominance in European and European-in-origin societies (United States, Australia, New Zealand, and the like) by "Non-European" races through mass migration and high birthrates. (http://bit.ly/2FygvQ5) We place this mass shooting in Christchurch within Shane's robust analysis of the patterns of far right insurgent violence, as demonstrated by the long and growing list of so-called ”lone wolf" attacks on minority groups in predominantly European and European-in-origin societies over the past several decades, and especially in the past five years or less. What is fueling these attacks, and how do we combat these horrible ideologies that embolden individuals to "take matters into their own hands"? We examine possible answers to this question by identifying the root of the anxiety inherent in white identity in the modern era, including the role late-stage capitalism and ecological collapse plays in giving rise to these outbursts of violence around the world.

Shane Burley is a writer and filmmaker who regularly reports on far-right movements in the US, as well as anti-fascist resistance, workers rights, and class struggle. He is the author of ‘Fascism Today: What It Is and How to End It’ from AK Press, and his work has appeared in numerous publications, such as Jacobin, Truthout, and Commune Magazine.

In my second joint interview with Rob Seimetz, host of Moving Forward on The Progressive Radio Network (PRN), we speak with Shane Burley -- journalist and author of 'Fascism Today: What It Is and How To End It.' Our discussion with Shane covers numerous topics, including the "Intellectual Dark Web" (or as Shane says "the academics that circle around Joe Rogan for some reason"); the pseudoscientific claims surrounding race, ethnicity, and IQ; and an examination of observable patterns within far right insurgency, as examined in Shane's recent piece in Commune Magazine 'A History of Violence,’ which examines the case of James Alex Fields — found guilty for the murder of Heather Heyer at the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville in 2017 when Fields drove his car through a crowd of counter-protesters, killing Heyer and injuring 28.

In Shane’s piece ‘A History of Violence’ and in this interview, Shane unpacks the observable patterns within far-right ideology and propaganda that has led individuals, like James Alex Fields, to commit seemingly random acts of violence, and how a combination of elements inherent in far-right ideology and propaganda cultivates a drive in alienated individuals to commit violent acts towards those perceived as an existential threat. In attracting alienated individuals and (in)directly encouraging them to act in ways that are violent and insurgent, the ideology of the far-right generates an imperative to commit acts of hate without necessitating any direct connection to any particular movement or ideology within the far-right, as has been the case with Fields. Shane describes the narratives that thrive within right-wing media spaces, including an examination of the pseudoscience of the “natural heritability” of intelligence — in relation to race and ethnicity — that continue to circulated within these spaces, as well as the media personalities that use racist, sexist, and chauvinist narratives to cultivate a base of followers, regardless of the wide range of scientific research that refute these claims on the matter. Also in this discussion, we address the government shutdown, workers rights, and the recent controversy surrounding the confrontation between Native elder Nathan Phillips and the students of Covington High at the Indigenous Peoples March last month.

Shane Burley is a writer and filmmaker based in Portland, Oregon, who regularly reports on far-right movements in the US, as well as anti-fascist resistance, worker's rights, and class struggle. He is the author of ‘Fascism Today: What It Is and How to End It’ from AK Press, and his work has appeared in places such as Jacobin, AlterNet, In These Times, Political Research Associates, Waging Nonviolence, Salon, ThinkProgress, ROAR Magazine and Upping the Anti.

This is the second joint interview I did with Rob Seimetz, host of Moving Forward on The Progressive Radio Network, when I visited Portland last month. As with our first interview with journalist and author of 'The End of Ice' Dahr Jamail, this episode with Shane will be released in audio and video form on both of our respective platforms. Follow Rob’s work here: https://movingforwardprn.podbean.com

In this episode, I speak with researcher, journalist, activist, and political consultant regarding Far Right movements Spencer Sunshine. The last time I spoke with Spencer Sunshine was a year ago, soon after the "Unite The Right" rally in Charlottesville, North Carolina in August 2017, in which we discussed the fallout of that event. In this conversation, we catch up on the development of the Far Right over the past year.

We start this discussion with an examination of the recent controversy surrounding Gavin McInnis, founder of the Proud Boys, and his invitation to speak at the Metropolitan Republican Club in New York City, in which a group of Proud Boys openly attacked protesters after the event. We discuss the lack of police interference in the beatings, and the overall trend in policing and law enforcement's attitude toward Far Right movements in the US, and internationally as well, and what this means regarding the development and expansion on these movements. We also discuss the differences and similarities between what has been defined as the “Alt-Right” and the “Alt-Lite,” and what these two camps of Far Right ideology have accomplished in the past year in the expansion and normalization of Far Right rhetoric and violence. We also discuss other strains of Far Right organization and ideology, including Joey Gibson and Patriot Prayer, as well the Left's altogether lack of preparedness in addressing the looming threat posed by these groups.

Spencer Sunshine holds a PhD in Sociology and has been an activist for over 25 years. Currently, he is an associate fellow at Political Research Associates, a progressive think tank that monitors right-wing organizing. He was present at the armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge outside of Burns, Oregon in January 2016, and at the demonstration against the fascist-led “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in August 2017. Sunshine is the lead author of 'Up in Arms: A Guide to Oregon’s Patriot Movement.' He is currently working on a new book, ‘Unorthodox Fascism: The New Right, Third Positionism, and the Specter of Multiracial Fascism in the United States,’ which will appear on Routledge’s Studies in Fascism and the Far Right.☍